Must Find Him
by LuFabbro
Summary: Tom is now the County's Spook and Alice is living with him. When his 19th birthday comes, he is kidnapped by a mysterious man and Alice must save him. She must follow her heart and leave the past behind. Alice's POV.
1. New Life

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook, even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. **One more thing, I'm just correcting some errors here and there, the story is still the same**. (: R&R_

**Chapter 1: New Life**

"Alice, wait for me," Tom screamed to me, as he reached the house. We had been arguing who was the fastest since we left the spook's house in Chipenden to get the week's provisions. In the way back, I dared him to get to the house before me and obviously, I won.

"I thought you had finished your spook's training," I said laughing at him.

It was true. Tom had finished his training for a year and he was the County's spook now. Old Gregory retired after he finished to teach Tom and had gone to live with his brother, Andrew. I had decided to stay with Tom, firstly because I knew that he always needed my help. However, I must admit it, if it wasn't for him I would be dead by now, even though it was my fault to make him go through so many dangerous situations. Anyway, I had no family anymore and Tom had been the best friend, family and company I ever had. I felt like my life wouldn't be the same not to have him around and going into adventures with him, after boggarts and witches.

"You know I did, but this race wasn't fair. I was carrying the provision's sack," Tom said as the front gate opened itself like always. We headed to the front door and Tom opened it.

"Come on Tom," I laughed at him as we entered the house. "You know you have to better than that. You are the spook now. What Old Gregory would say?"

"Oh, shut up, Alice!" He said going into the kitchen to leave the provisions for the boggart that worked for him now. "This was the last time I lost a race to you. Next time you will carry the provision's sack."

"I still would win," I said proudly.

He laughed at me, threw his arm around my shoulders and started to walk towards the western garden.

"Dear Alice, you are too proud of yourself! You need to relax a little. It's like everything is a competition to you."

"I'm not like that! You are very proud too," I said a little too fast.

"Okay, I admit I am proud of myself. What I'm saying is that you need to relax. You've been tense since we came back from Anglezarke," he said.

Maybe it was true. Since we came back from his winter's house I had had a bad feeling. Something was coming. Something bad. But I didn't want Tom to worry. I mean, after 6 years going through so many dangerous things with the spook. Now things were different, Old Gregory was no longer with us, and Tom has been the spook for only a year and I had a feeling that he was in danger, so I wasn't going to say a thing.

"I'm fine! Don't worry," I said trying to look more relaxed.

"Please Alice! I know you're lying to me," he said,

I looked at him. His deep brown eyes stared seriously at me. He stopped walking, grabbed my shoulders and turned me to him, so we were face to face. Now that we had grown up he was finally taller than me. I looked up and met his gaze.

"I…I…" I stuttered. I still wasn't sure I should tell him about the bad feeling I had. So, I turned my head and finally realized where we were. Behind us, there was the bench that Tom used to have classes with Old Gregory. I walked away from him and sat on the bench.

"Please Alice!" I heard his voice approaching the bench. "I know you well. I can tell that something is bugging you," he sat on the bench looking at me.

_Think of a lie! Lie to him. Faster, Alice! _A little voice whispered in my mind.

"It's nothing important. It's just… Well, it's your birthday in two days and I've been planning a surprise to you and what's bugging me is that I need to find a cake recipe because it's Sunday and the boggart won't be here. So, I'm worried because in the library there are no cookbooks and in the city there is no one that would help me," I lied.

"You know," he said grinning. "You are a terrible liar. But it's okay, if you don't want to tell me, you don't need to. I just want you to know I'm here for you."

"I'm sorry Tom. I believe that this is not the right time to tell you. At least not right now," I said looking at him. "It's not because I don't trust you, I do. It's just…" I felt his hands in my face, making me look at him.

"It's fine Alice. You don't have to explain yourself to me," he said with smile on his face.

I smiled back at him. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. He hugged me back. Being in his arms made me feel good, like I belonged there. After a while, we let go and sat straight in the bench, he put his arms around me and I leaned my head in his shoulder. We stayed like that for almost the whole afternoon, talking about the past, what we did in his first year in the new job. And for the first time in a long time I felt like I was at home, in a place I truly belonged.

The sun was setting when we heard the bell ringing. It was dinner time. We got up and headed back to the house in silence. Dinner was great as always, we thanked the boggart and went to the spook's library. Tom always read Old Gregory's book to learn even more. I still helped him translating some books written in Latin. Tom didn't exactly learned Latin, so he asked for my help.

Time passed by and it was late, I was so tired that I only remember to fall asleep over a book of spells.


	2. The Threat

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 2: The Threat**

The next day, I woke up with the sound of the bell announcing breakfast. I got up and realized that I was wearing last night's clothes and that I woke up in my bed, but I didn't remember going to bed.

After I got changed, I went to kitchen where breakfast was served. When I sat down I notice there was only one plate in the table. Under my plate, there was a note:

_Dear Alice,_

_I received a call from a farmer w/ problems w/ a boggart. Don't worry, it's a simple task. I'll be back late at night._

_You don't have to wait for me awake._

_Love,_

_Tom._

I was on my own the whole day. I finished my breakfast, thanked the boggart and left the kitchen. I went to library to finish translating the book I was translating before I fell asleep. I just got started when I heard the bell calling the Spook. Tom wasn't around, so I decided to go to the Spook's bell.

I started to walk towards the bell, as I got near I started to smell a different scent. It smelled like danger, but I kept walking, I didn't fear anything. When I got to the bell, there was a tall figure wearing a black cape with a hood, so I couldn't see the person's face. It didn't seem to be someone who actually needed the Spook.

"Alice Deane," the figure said. He had a rough voice so I assumed that it was a man.

"Who are you?" I asked him a bit curious.

"It doesn't matter who I am," he answered as he took a step forward. He was closer to me and I could see a long scar going down to his neck, disappearing into his clothes.

"How do you know who I am?" I asked still curious.

"That doesn't matter as well."

"The Spook is not here today. He had a problem in a farmer's house. You'll have to wait until tomorrow," I said even though I knew somehow he wasn't there because of Tom.

"I'm not here for the Spook, his services won't be needed today," he told me seriously. "I'm here for something else."

"Really?" I challenged him "And what that would be?"

"Watch your tongue, stupid girl. If I were you, I would be respectful with someone more powerful than you. I could reduce you to ashes if I wanted to," he screamed at me.

"How dare you…" I started to talk.

"You don't scare me, Alice Deane," he interrupted me "I know everything about you. You may try to look like a strong girl, but I know your weaknesses. However I won't do anything to you… Yet. I still need you to finish my plan."

"What kind of plan are you talking about?" I asked.

"That doesn't matter to you but you will do what I say," he said harshly.

"Or what?"

"Or your little friend, Tom Ward, isn't that his name? Well, he'll suffer the consequences," he threatened.

"Don't you dare threat him! You won't get him not even over my dead body," I screamed at him and before I knew what was happening, he moved fast behind me, put an arm around my neck and with the other hand he pulled a knife and leaned it in my neck as I struggled to get out of his grip.

"I wouldn't struggle if I was you, my hand might slip and that wouldn't be nice, right?" he said.

I agreed with a nod.

"Very well then. I will let you go, but remember I still can kill you and if I need to, I will go after little Tom," he said as he let me go.

I was finally scared of him but I wouldn't risk Tom's life just because a crazy guy needed me for some crazy plan.

"Ok, tell me what you need from me," I finally answered him.

"Good girl. I need the Spook's blood. And I can't get near the house because of that stupid boggart. If that wasn't a problem I would do it myself," he said.

"How am I supposed to get Tom's blood? I would never hurt him, especially for some plan that I don't even know anything about."

"I don't care how you are going to do it and you don't have to know anything about the plan," he shouted again at me. I definitely didn't like this guy. "Now, here is the flask to collect his blood it must be completely filled," he pulled off from his cape a little flask and gave it to me.

"But…" I started to talk, even though the flask was small there was too much space for the blood, and I didn't know if I could actually get a sing drop of Tom's blood, fill that flask would be impossible.

"No buts, you are going to do it. You have until tomorrow. When the right time comes I will return here and ring the bell. You must meet me here alone," his voice now was more relaxed.

"Fine. I'll try," I answered.

"No, you will do it. Trying is not enough to me," he said sharply. "Anyway, I'm not gonna waste my time here anymore. I already told you everything you need to know and what you have to do. Good bye, Alice Deane," he turned back and started to walk away from me disappearing into the trees.

I was still in shock and many questions were running through my mind. Who was he? What plan was he talking about? Why did he want Tom's blood? How did he know who I was? Why didn't he show his face? I looked at the flask he had given to me. How was I supposed to get Tom's blood? I started to walk back to the house thinking what I should do. Maybe if I told Tom what happened, we could figure out what to do. Yes! That was an excellent idea.

After I got to the house, I went to the library to finish what I started the night before. And that's how the rest of the day went. I had lunch when the boggart called and got back to work. When the sun began to set I stopped my work and grabbed a book from one of the shelves in the library to relax a bit, but my mind couldn't stop thinking about the conversation I had with that strange man. I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely heard the bell announcing dinner. When I got to kitchen I saw that I was late, the roast chicken was burnt, the potatoes had no sauce and the soup was cold. But after all, I was still hungry, so I ate everything. After I finished, I apologized to the boggart and went to my room. I laid in my bed and the strange man came back to my mind, but I had other things to worry, like what I was going to tomorrow, it was Tom's birthday and the boggart wasn't going to be here to help me to bake a cake, so I was going to do it on my own. Great! After a while I got tired and my eyes closed and soon enough I was sleeping.


	3. Tom's Birthday

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 3: Tom's Birthday**

_I opened my eyes and felt the cold ground through my clothes. Slowly, I got up, cleaned my clothes and when I looked up, I saw Tom. I smiled at him, but then I noticed that he was sitting in a chair and that he was hurt. His face had bruises and he was bleeding, like someone had been torturing him. His hands were tied by a rope so were his legs. I tried to reach him but I couldn't move. I screamed his name but I had no voice. I was trying to make him notice me. Suddenly, someone stepped behind him and pointed a finger to me. Tom finally looked up and saw me. His eyes went wild. However, he didn't seem very happy to see me, there was fear and hurt in his gaze. When I looked into his eyes, I realized he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't figure out what it was. The person behind him pulled a very familiar knife to me. The person took a step forward and the man with the black cape was there. Again, I couldn't see his face but I sure that he was the same man that had threatened Tom and I because of the scar that went down his neck._

"_No," I tried to scream, but I still had no voice._

"_You can't save him Alice," the man's voice echoed in my head._

_I tried to run and even though my legs were finally moving, I still was in the same place, I wasn't going anywhere. The man put the knife in Tom's neck and cut it, side to side. There was blood everywhere. Tom was dead._

"_No!" I screamed._

I woke up all sweaty in my bed. This was the worst nightmare I ever had. I needed some fresh air and to make sure Tom was at home safe.

I got up from my bed and looked at the window, the sun was rising. I put my night robe on and walked through the hall to Tom's room. I opened the door hoping he was there in his bed, wearing the dirty clothes he wore the night before to work because he got back too late and too tired to even change them. When I entered in his room, his bed was empty. My heart started to race. What if something has happened to him? What if he was really dead? _Calm down, Alice! He is probably awake in the kitchen, making breakfast, _that little voice whispered in my head. _Yes! Of course!_ I thought. I turned around and ran towards the stairs, trying to get to the kitchen the fastest that I could, but the kitchen was empty too, nobody was in there. Then out of a sudden, I heard a moan coming from the couch on the living room. Slowly, I went to the room and lying in the couch, there was Tom. He was sleeping but he looked tired. He had a small cut near his eyebrow and his right wrist had a big bruise, it was probably broken. I went to the kitchen, started to prepare a potion to heal his wrist and to make breakfast, he would be hungry. While the potion and the eggs were cooking, I went to my bathroom and got my first aid kit.

A while later, everything was ready, the potion, breakfast and I had everything I needed to heal Tom's injuries, so put it all in a tray and I went to the living room to see if Tom had woken up.

It took a few minutes for him to wake up. When he opened his eyes, I was relieved that he was alive and my heartbeats slowed down. He sat down and looked at me.

"My head hurts! I think I've broken my wrist," he smiled.

"Yeah, I figured. I made you breakfast," I smiled back at him, as I gave him a plate with eggs and bacon.

"Thank you," he said.

I watched him eat every single thing from the plate. He looked very hungry. Then, I made him drink the potion and healed his cut in his eyebrow.

"Now, go to your room and take a shower, put some clean clothes, so I can make a bandage on your wrist."

He did as I said while I washed the dishes.

I went to his room, where he was already laying in the bed wearing clean clothes. I made the bandage in his wrist.

"There you go. In a few days it will be fine,"

"Thank you," he said.

"Don't worry. How do you feel?" I was so happy to know that he was okay and he looked much better now he wasn't dirty anymore.

"Better. So tell me, what did you do yesterday?" he asked.

"That doesn't matter. Do you care to tell me what happened for you to come back home like this?" I tried to avoid his question.

"Nothing happened. Just very stubborn stone chuckers. He hit me, but the problem with the farmer was solved. The boggart won't annoy that family anymore," he answered.

"You should be more careful," I almost screamed at him. He didn't have the right to scare me like that and act like it was nothing.

"Were you worried about me?" he smirked. I wanted to punch him, but he was already hurt, that wasn't the right time to make jokes.

"Yes! Of course I was" I said exasperated "Why? Are you saying that I wasn't supposed to be worried with my best friend? I woke up and your room was empty. When I finally found you, you were lying on the couch, hurt, with a broken wrist and cut in the eyebrow. It seemed that you've been punched by 10 different men," I screamed at him.

"Wow! Calm down! I was just joking and I'm fine," he said laughing.

"I know you are joking, but this is a serious situation, Tom," I said trying to get angry with him.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he answered.

"That's fine. You should rest now, when it's lunchtime I wake you up ok?"

"Ok," he agreed.

I was about to leave his room, when I remembered. It was Tom's birthday, but when I turned around, he was already sleeping, so I went to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later.<em>

The sun was already setting and I was reading a book in the library when I felt a pair of eyes staring at me. I looked up and saw Tom in the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you," he apologized.

"No, you're not interrupting at all," I said closing my book "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, but I'm hungry," he said entering the room.

"Sure let's make dinner then," I got up and walked to door.

"You said you were going to wake me up at lunchtime," he started to walk by my side towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, but you were in such a deep sleep that I couldn't wake you up," I said. "I tried to call you but after a while trying, I gave up because you were tired and a good sleep is always very nice to replace the energy."

"It's ok. I really needed to rest," he smiled.

We went to the kitchen, he sat in a chair and I started to boil the water to make some soup. While we were waiting, I sat next to him.

"I forgot to tell you something," I said. "Happy Birthday, Tom!" I hugged him.

"Thank you,"

I went to oven and got the cake I baked for him. He smiled at me.

"You didn't have to bake a cake to me Alice!" he was surprised.

"It was nothing. I don't think it's very good but it's worth a try," I said smiling too.

"Definitely," he replied.

We ate dinner and then the cake. Later, we had cleaned the kitchen and before we went to our rooms to sleep, we decided to go to the living room to talk a little.

"The cake was great. Thank you Alice," he hugged me.

"I'm glad you like it," I said looking into his eyes.

He got closer to me, we were an inch apart. I was sure he was about to kiss me and somehow I wanted him to do that. I started to wonder how those lips tasted like and if he was a good kisser. But out of a sudden the spook's bell rang and we moved a step back. My heart started to race, and the man in black cape appeared in my mind threatening Tom and saying that I will suffer the consequences for not doing what he wanted.

"Damn! I really need an apprentice," he grumbled. "Well, work calls."

"You don't have to go. I'll go for you," I said.

"Alice, are you mad? It's dark and I'm the spook. Someone is calling me, not you. You don't have to worry," he started to put his cloak on.

"No!" I said harshly. "I'll go you, stay here."

"I'm not staying here. If someone needs my help, I will help, okay? _You s_tay here and I will come back soon enough," he said and left by the front door.

I wasn't going to stay at home waiting for something to happen. I gave Tom two minutes in advantage and then I went after him.


	4. Tom Goes Missing

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 4: Tom Goes Missing**

The path was dark, but I still could see because of the little moon light that wasn't covered by clouds. I was about to get to the spook's bell, when I smelled something, a very familiar scent and behind me stood Mab Mouldheel. She laughed at me with malice and got closer.

"Look what we have here! Hello Alice."

"Hello Mab. How are you? Bad, I hope," I said smirking.

"Oh Alice! This is not the time to be rude, you know. Do I need to remember you that Tom is in danger? The Master could kill him."

"What are you planning, Mab? Is this bloody circus about needing Tom's blood for some plan your idea?"

"Well, part of it, yes, it is my idea, but I'm just helping. The Mouldheel clan owns the Master a favor. So, as their leader, I thought why not help!"

"What are you planning?" I asked.

"That doesn't matter. Come with me, Alice and look what kind of destiny you gave Tom," Mab started to walk towards the bell.

Something was wrong. I thought I would hear Tom struggling with the man in the black cape. I followed Mab and when we got to the Spook's bell, Tom was fighting against two men and he was losing. His staff had fallen far from him and he was trying not to get hit. I ran to where his staff was, picked it up from the ground and joined him in the fight. I threw him his staff and it seemed he had gained more strength. Tom started to hit the two men and I was trying to help him with a tree branch that I got from the ground. We were winning but out of a sudden, I saw Tom fall down in the ground and be picked up by one of the man like he was a potatoes' sack as I heard Mab's voice.

"Not her! I want her to see it."

I felt my hands being pulled behind my back by the other man Tom was fighting with and I was forced to look at Mab.

"Can't you see that is a waste of time to fight?" She mocked with a laugh. "Bring the Spook here."

The man who was carrying Tom brought him to Mab and he started to tie him with a rope she had given to him. The man with the black cape showed up from the tree, he was not wearing the hood, so now I could see his face. He had dark brown eyes, thin lips and by they look in his face I could tell that he wasn't happy.

"Mab, I'm the one who gives the orders here," he shouted.

"I'm sorry, Master," Mab said looking at the ground.

"You better be!" he answered.

I was surprised and scared. Mab was receiving an order and actually accepting it. If Mab was under control, that guy definitely was powerful.

"Look at you Mab, accepting orders from somebody else! I thought I would never see that!" I said even though I knew I wasn't in a position to make fun of her.

The man turned to me when he heard my voice.

"Alice Deane. I believe that we had a deal, didn't we? And you didn't do what you had to. Now, I can't promise you that I won't kill him," he pointed his finger to Tom.

Tom was awakening, he was opening his eyes and he was trying to move but he couldn't because of the ropes that tied his arms and legs. The man walked towards Tom, grabbed him by his shirt and made him kneel on the ground. Then, he walked behind Tom and he pulled out the knife he used to threaten me and put it in Tom's neck.

"No! Please don't do it," I begged.

"Don't worry, Alice. I won't kill him. I must be alive, but I still need his blood," he said making Tom get up.

The man grabbed one of Tom's arms and forced the knife into his skin and cut it from his elbow to almost his wrist. Tom screamed in pain. His blood started to drain from his arm.

"Mab! The flask. Now!" the man shouted at Mab.

Mab ran to the man and gave him the flask. The man took it from Mab and held it below Tom's arm where the blood was leaking. Tom was still in pain, but he wasn't screaming anymore. I wanted to get rid of the ropes that was tying my wrists and my legs, get Tom and get back to the house, where I could take care of him, hug him and kiss him like we were about to before the bell rang. When the flask was completely filled, the man covered the flask and pushed Tom to the ground. He walked toward me.

"See? That's how you get somebody's blood" he said.

"You got what you wanted. Now let us go," I answered.

"And why should I do that? I can have much more fun if I have a hostage, right?" he walked back to Tom.

Tom was still lying down on the ground. His arm didn't stop bleeding. The man grabbed him by his shirt collar and made him get up.

"On your feet boy," he growled.

Tom got up with difficulty, he was not okay.

"Who are you?" Tom asked weakly.

"You can call me Doctor Eskure" the man answered.

"What do you want from us?" Tom asked.

"Well, I needed your blood," he said.

"For what?" Tom asked again.

I wanted to tell him to stop asking questions. That man was dangerous. Dr. Eskure, as he called himself, was not someone we should be playing with, but Tom had this stupid proud that made him think he could confront anybody.

"You don't need to why I want your blood," Dr. Eskure said.

"Let us go, Doctor Freak," I screamed. "You got what you wanted. You don't need us anymore for your crazy plan."

Mab walked towards me and slapped me hard across the face. I could feel my cheek burning.

"Shut up, bitch," she screamed.

"That's enough, Mab!" Dr. Eskure shouted. "Let's get the hell out of here. I can't stand any other minute listening to these two fools. You," he pointed to the man behind Tom. "Get the boy. He is coming with us. The girl stays here."

The man behind Tom knocked him down, then grabbed him and put Tom's body on his shoulders. The man walked away into the trees.

"Bring him back here," I screamed.

"Yeah! Whatever," Mab said.

"Shut up, Mab. Let's go." Dr. Eskure said.

They both walked away to the same path the other man went. The man behind me pushed me to the ground and followed the other two.

I tried to untie me, but the ropes were too tight. It took me two hours to break free. I walked back to the house. I felt the tears rolling down my face and I was trying to figure out what to do. I was sure that I had to go after Tom, but I had no idea of where to begin. When I got the house, I finally thought of something smart to do. I was going to pack and go after Old Gregory. He had dealt with so many different and dangerous things. I was sure he would know what to do.

_A/N:Thanks to my reviewers and a special thanks to LuMezenga for the review and for helping me to choose Dr. Eskure's name xD_


	5. On The Road

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 5: On the Road**

I got back to the house and ran to my room. I got some clean clothes and put them on the bag that I used when I travelled with Tom. I went to the kitchen to get some food. I put the little snack on the bag too. I didn't care if I was dirty and tired but any minute wasted could result in Tom's death and that shouldn't be an option of ending to this situation. I had to find Old Gregory. He was the only person I knew that could help me.

I left the house with the stars in the sky. It would take a long time to the sun rise. I knew that basically all dark creatures were awake but I didn't have time to fear them. I had to save Tom, so I headed to the South. I had to go to Anglezarke. Last winter, Tom and I went to the moor. Old Gregory was living there with his brother Andrew, who had a locksmith shop in city nearby. Meg Skelton was living with them. Andrew was a little scared of her but I liked her, she had always been kind to me. Her temper had been getting better because she stopped drinking that tea that made her forget who she was and she stayed awake the whole year. Old Gregory didn't leave her alone anymore and she seemed to have accepted the new environment she had been living in. When Tom and I went to Anglezarke, Old Gregory stayed home with Meg and I was starting to believe he got used to be retired. On day, however, I caught Old Gregory eating a small slice of cheese and after that he left the house for three days. Andrew told me and Tom that Old Gregory was visiting a friend. Tom believed it, I didn't. Anyway, I wasn't surprised at all. The old Spook wouldn't leave his job so easily and I didn't know why he didn't want Tom to know he was still working. I never told Tom what I knew. It was Old Gregory's secret. It was not up to me to tell Tom that.

I continued to walk but my eyes were heavy, I needed to sleep but I didn't want to. When the sun started to rise, I was in the middle of the way. By lunchtime I would get to Old Gregory's house.

Wagons pulled by horses passed by my and disappeared in the dust of the road. I slowed down a little and stopped for 2 minutes to eat something. I really wished that Andrew would receive me with a big plate of food. I got back to the road and started to walk faster. I had to get to Anglezarke the fastest that I could.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later<em>

It was lunchtime when I finally got to Anglezarke. The sun was shining bright and I was all sweaty, tired and hungry.

Old Gregory's house showed up in the hill a little after I entered Anglezarke's center. It took me a while to get to the house, but when I got to the front door, I knocked. A minute later, Andrew opened the door. He smiled at me.

"Hello Andrew," I smiled back.

"Alice! What are you doing here?" he pulled me into a hug. "Come on in."

I entered the house. I could smell the scent of a well done meal.

"I need to talk to Mr. Gregory," I said.

"I'm afraid you've lost your time coming this far, John is not here," he said.

"When does he come back? I really need his help," I answered.

Andrew led me to the kitchen.

"Ok! Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes. Starving, actually," I smiled.

"Let's eat lunch and we can talk about it."

"Ok," I said.

When we got the kitchen, Meg was putting on the table a big piece of steak. The smell was delicious.

"Hey Meg! Look who we have as guest today," Andrew announced.

Meg looked up and came to me to hug me.

"Alice! It's so good to see you. I'm going to put another plate on the table," she said.

"It's very nice to see you too, Meg," I smiled.

Andrew and I sat on the table. Meg joined us after she got me a plate. We ate lunch in silence, but the steak was as good as the smell.

After lunch, Andrew and I went to the living room and Meg stayed on the kitchen to wash the dishes and then take a nap on her chair in front of the fireplace.

Andrew sat on the couch and I sat on a chair in front of him.

"So, Alice, tell me what's going on. Where's Tom?" Andrew asked.

"That's the problem, Andrew. You won't believe in what happened."

I started to tell him everything. I told him about the feeling I had, about the threat, about Dr. Eskure and about Tom being kidnapped. At the end, Andrew sighed.

"Oh my God! These people are crazy. I believe John is coming back tonight. We can talk to him and I'm sure he will help you, especially if it's to save Tom," he said.

"Yes, that's why I came here immediately. Mr. Gregory would definitely know what to do right?"

"Right. Look Alice, I have to go back to my shop. You can come if you want to but you look very tired. Maybe it would be better for you to sleep a little. The room you used when you came with Tom is still there, in the same way you left it. You can sleep there," Andrew got up.

"Thank you, Andrew. I'll sleep a little. If I still have time, I'll pass by your shop. I still remember where it was," I answered getting up too.

Andrew left and I went to my room. The bed wasn't as comfortable as my bed in Chipenden but I was so tired that it didn't matter. I slept right away.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later<em>

I woke up and the sun was about to set. I got up and took a bath. I found Meg waking up on her chair in the kitchen

"Hello Alice," she said smiling.

"Hello Meg. I'm going to Andrew's shop, okay? I'll be right back," I smiled too.

"Okay, are you going to come back for dinner?" she asked.

"Yes Meg, don't worry. Bye," I said leaving the kitchen.

I was walking through Anglezarke. At this time of the year, it was almost summertime so the heat was good, not the cold weather I was used to. It wasn't a very nice place to live, though. Most of people walked looking at the ground trying to avoid any eye contact. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and when I looked up, I bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," I said getting up and helping the man that was on the floor to get up.

"I apologize! I was so distracted looking at the map. I didn't see you," he said.

"It's ok. Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," the man looked up.

He was almost Tom's twin with the exception of a few details, like the eyes, they were an emerald green. I was in shock.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, but you seem very familiar to me," I answered.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Hi I'm Jason. Jason Ward," he smiled and reached out his hand.

"Ward? Are you related to Tom Ward?" I asked shaking his hand.

"Yeah! He is my brother. And you are…"

"I'm Alice Deane. I help and live with Tom."

"Really? And where is he? I haven't seen him in ages," he asked.

"Tom is not here. I'm sorry," I said looking at the ground

"These days I haven't got any luck. I just lost my job, I'm lost and I have nowhere to spend the night."

"I'm hosted in a big house. I believe you can come with me. Andrew won't bother, especially if you are Tom's brother," I said smiling at him.

"Ok then," he agreed.

We headed back to the house talking and sharing Tom's embarrassing stories. Jason seemed a nice guy. When we got to the house, Meg liked him and Andrew welcomed him. We ate dinner and we went to the living room to wait for Old Gregory.


	6. Old Spook Story

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 6: Old Spook Story**

The moon was already in the sky when Old Gregory got home. He was hurt. He had many cuts and his forehead was bleeding. He was limping. He was even worse than Tom when I found him the day before. Old Gregory was carrying his staff with his right hand and he couldn't move his left arm

When Old Gregory opened the door, Meg's eyes went wild. She ran to help him to sit on the couch next to her.

"Oh my God, John! What happened to you?" Andrew asked.

"I'll bring you a plate of soup. You need to eat," Meg said leaving the room.

Old Gregory smiled at her and his eyes studied the room.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he saw me.

"I need your help," I said.

"Since when a girl like you needs my help?" he said harshly.

"John! Don't be rude in front of our guest," Meg said giving Old Gregory the soup.

"What guest?" he started to eat.

"Hi. I'm Jason Ward. I'm Tom's brother, sir," Jason got up and raised his hand and Old Gregory shook it.

"Humpf," he snorted. "Where is Tom? Why isn't he here?" he asked.

"That's why Alice needs your help, John," Andrew interfered.

"Yes. Some crazy guy kidnapped Tom. He needed Tom's blood. It was mess. I came here to ask for your help. The Mouldheel clan is helping him and…"

"What?" Jason interrupted me. "My brother was kidnapped? Who did it? When? How?"

"Silence!" Old Gregory screamed. "Is this man called Dr. Eskure?"

"Yes. How did you know?" I asked in shock.

"I'm like this because of him. His men came after me. I was visiting a friend of mine. He lives in a farm in North. I got there a week ago, I spent 4 days there. As soon as I left, I felt I was being followed. A few hours later, Dr. Eskure stopped me. First, he was pretending to be lost and asked for help. I said that he could come with me because Chipenden was in my way and that's where he was heading to. Chipenden was a few hours from where we were. When the night came, we slept in a barn we had found in the way. He slept first, but I was curious. He claimed he had been on the road for two days but his clothes were too clean. He didn't seem to be someone who actually was lost," Old Gregory stopped talking.

He had finished eating the soup. Meg took his plate and took it to the kitchen, then excused herself to sleep. In the room, Old Gregory laid down on the couch. Andrew had a worried face. Jason was still in shock, he couldn't believe his brother was truly missing. I was listening to every single thing. Any detail would help me figure out where Dr. Eskure had taken Tom.

"Anyway, did you get to meet him, girl?" Old Gregory asked.

"Yes, he came to talk to me when Tom was in a famer's house working. It was like he knew it," I answered.

"That's interesting. He's using different approaches. First, he needed to pretend he was someone else. Then when he talked to you he showed up as himself. That means that he had gained more confidence." Old Gregory pointed out.

"But what happened after he slept?" Andrew asked

"Well…" Old Gregory continued. "I thought he was sleeping so I decided to sleep too. But I stayed alert. In the middle of the night, I heard something and when I opened my eyes I saw two men tying me with ropes. Dr. Eskure said he needed my blood. But something stopped him. There was somebody in the dark. I couldn't see the person's face. The person said I wasn't the right one. Dr. Eskure was disappointed. He left the place and his men hit me hard. I maybe old but I'm still in a good shape. I untied the rope in my hands and got my staff. Then the men didn't have a chance. And that's basically it," Old Gregory finished.

"So, he went to Chipenden to get Tom. He needed a Spook," I said.

"Yes," Old Gregory agreed.

"So… When do we go rescue Tom?" Jason asked curious.

Old Gregory laughed and sat down on the couch.

"Girl, can you help me with my injuries?" he asked me.

"Yes, I have a first aid kit here. In case Tom gets home hurt," I said.

I went to my room and got the kit. When I got back to the living room, everyone was in silence.

I helped Old Gregory to heal most of his cuts. His shoulder was disjointed but I could heal it even without a potion. When I finished, Old Gregory turned to Andrew.

"I'll go after Tom. Don't worry. I'll go and I'll bring him back," he said.

"Are you crazy?" Andrew asked getting up. "You look awful and you're hurt. You can't save the world on your own, John."

"I'm doing it," Old Gregory spat.

"Not alone. I'm coming with you," I said.

"So am I," Jason got up trying to look brave.

"Fine! You two can come, but you'll have to follow my orders. I have experience. You don't," Old Gregory finally gave up.

"Alright," I said. "Do you have any ideas of where Dr. Eskure took Tom?"

"I think he went to Pendle, especially if the Mouldheels are helping him," he said. "We can't do anything for now. I'm tired. Let's sleep, tomorrow we'll think about what to do."

The conversation ended there. Old Gregory, Andrew, Jason and I went to our rooms. It would be a long night for me. I didn't want to waste so much time. Tom was in danger and at any time he could be killed. I lay in my bed, thinking about him. He was everything I had. I needed to rescue him, no matter what.


	7. Going to Pendle

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 7: Going to Pendle**

The next morning, I woke up with the sun rising. I couldn't wait to leave and rescue Tom, so I got up and went to the kitchen quickly. When I got there, Meg was setting the table for breakfast.

"Good morning, Alice," she said. "Why are you up so early?"

"Good morning, Meg. I couldn't sleep," I said sitting in my usual place.

"I can imagine what's going on your head. I feel the same way every time John goes somewhere far to work. He is not the same. He won't admit, but he is getting old. He thinks he is immortal and invincible and that's why I fear for his life. I know he has experience, but I am afraid that one day he won't come back."

"Mr. Gregory knows how to take care of himself. Don't worry, Meg. But I understand what you are talking about. My heart almost stops when Tom gets back home hurt. It's horrible," I said playing with a spoon.

"One day, will understand why you feel this way. It took me a while to do so, but of course I'm older than you. You are too young to understand this kind of feeling," she stopped behind a chair and smiled at me.

Meg went to the oven and started to make the eggs.

"It's so good to have people around me. If John is not home, I feel so lonely. Andrew barely talks to me. I really like Tom but I just wanted for you to stay more."

"I know, Meg. I feel alone sometimes too but you have to understand. Tom needs us."

"Don't worry, Alice, I'm not complaining," Meg got up.

She started to put the eggs and the waffles on the table and I started to make a plate.

"What if…" she started. "I go with you? I can be helpful."

"It's not a bad idea, but you know Mr. Gregory better than I do. He would never allow it."

"Allow what?" Jason asked entering the kitchen.

"John! I think I should go with you," Meg said putting a jar of orange juice on the table as Old Gregory entered the kitchen.

"Meg, you know that's not a good idea," Old Gregory said.

"I can't see why. Andrew knows how to cook. He will be fine for a few days without me."

"Meg, please! You don't need to come. You'll be safer here," Old Gregory tried to smile at her.

"You never let me go out. I'm going to save Tom with you and this conversation is over. Now, eat your breakfast," Meg pointed at the table.

We all ate breakfast in silence. Nobody dared to say a thing. After breakfast, Jason and I waited in the front hall for Old Gregory. He was still discussing with Meg. He didn't want her to come. It could be dangerous, not only for her but everybody as well. When Old Gregory came to us alone, he said Meg wasn't coming. We left in silence. It wasn't a sunny day, the clouds covered the sun, but it wasn't going to rain, not so soon, at least.

It took the whole morning walking to get near Chipenden. When lunchtime came we stopped, Old Gregory ate his usual small piece of cheese. Jason and I shared a small sandwich, but there wasn't time to rest. As soon we finished our lunch we got back to the road. In the middle of the afternoon, we got to Jack's farm. We could see him cleaning the pigsty. Ellie was carrying the milk to the house and a little girl, who was probably Mary, was helping her.

When we got closer, Old Gregory turned to Jason.

"You may talk to your brother for an hour, no more than that. The girl and I will stay near. I believe we are not very welcome here."

Jason nodded and headed to the house. Old Gregory and I sat down on an old tree branch that was on the ground.

"You shouldn't have said to Meg to come with us. It could have saved us time and problems," Old Gregory said.

"I didn't say a thing. It was her idea. She feels alone," I looked at him, he was staring at the house.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm always with her."

"Not always, right?"

Old Gregory looked at me in shock.

"What? Did you really think I would be stupid enough to believe that you had retired? I am actually impressed that Tom hasn't noticed anything yet," I looked away.

"Yes, you're right. I didn't retire. Tom wasn't exactly confident when he became the Spook. I didn't want him to come to me asking what he had to do. So, I said that I retired to make him more confident of his work. But he can't take care of the whole county alone. Now, I take care of problems only near Anglezarke. Tom was my best apprentice. Just don't tell him that I said that about him. He would get to vain," Old Gregory explained.

I stayed quiet and Old Gregory didn't say a thing either. A half an hour passed when Jason came back

"Ok, we can go now," he said.

Jason had a sad expression in his face. Old Gregory got up and started to walk. We just followed him.

"Are you ok?" I asked Jason.

"Yes," he answered, but then his expression changed and he looked at me. "Actually, no. I'm not ok. It's just… Ah! Never mind."

"You can talk to me if want to. You are Tom's family, which makes you my family too. I'm not going to judge you. Trust me," I said smiling at him.

"I never thought Jack would talk to me like the way he did. Especially when I told him I was with you and Mr. Gregory. He went insane! He told me that I shouldn't talk to you and saving Tom was a stupid idea. He also said you were eluding me and a load of other things."

"Yeah… Let's just say that Jack and his family didn't have what I would call nice experiences with us," I said. "I'm sorry he treated you like that. Since Tom became Old Gregory's apprentice, Jack started to treat him badly. Tom's luck was that your mother still ruled the house. Now, Jack is the owner and I'm sorry to tell that but he has all rights to fear for his family. Even though, he didn't have to be rude."

"Yeah, I guess," Jason answered.

We continued to walk. Old Gregory looked back once in a while, just to make sure we were following him, but it was not like he cared. I knew he wanted us to give up, but he was going to need our help and I refused to give up on Tom.

When we got to Pendle, the sun was setting, but we had nowhere to go. The church where we stayed for the first time Tom came to Pendle was abandoned, dirty and half of the ceiling had fallen to the ground.

"We can't stay here. This place is awful and this is not even safe. We wouldn't last not even an hour here," I said.

"That's the only place we have to stay. Stop complaining, girl," Old Gregory pointed out.

"I have a friend that owes me some favors and he lives with his wife not very far from here. His house is a little isolated, so I believe is a good place to spend the night without those witches know where we are," Jason said.

"Fine, let's go," Old Gregory turned to him.

Jason led us to his friend's house. The house needed a new painting and the moths had eaten half of the door. Jason knocked on the door and a man opened it, but when he saw Jason, he tried to close the door as quickly as he could. Jason, however, was fastest and with his hand stopped the door being closed.

"Hello, Mark. I see you remember me. It's time to pay me what you owe."

Mark tried to look more relaxed.

"Jason! What are you doing here in Pendle?"

"None of your business. My friends and I need a place to stay. I thought you wouldn't mind to help us, right?" Jason was serious.

"If I let you in, will my debts be erased?" Mark asked.

"Not all, just some of them," Jason said.

"Fine, come in," Mark finally opened the door.


	8. The Plan

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 8: The Plan**

We all entered the house. It wasn't huge, but it seemed at least comfortable. In the kitchen, a woman was washing the dishes. She came to the living room and look at us in surprise.

"Who are those?" she asked Mark, she didn't seem very happy.

"Charlotte, be nice to our guests. They'll spend the night. It's just for tonight," Mark tried to calm her down. "Jason, I don't know if you met my wife. Charlotte, this is Jason. He helped me when we were broke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am. This is Alice and Mr. Gregory," Jason said smiling.

"I can't believe this!" Charlotte turned to her husband. "You brought home a Spook! If anybody hears about this, we are dead. Dead! Did you hear me? Besides, you never told me that you owned money to a boy! What's wrong with you?" she screamed and left to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about that. Charlotte has been acting like that because of the baby. Hormones, you know. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to talk to her. Make yourself at home," Mark tried to apologized.

"It's ok. I understand your wife's fear. Could you give us some privacy? It's for just an hour or a little more," Old Gregory said sitting on the couch.

Mark left, Jason sat next to Old Gregory and I sat in the opposite couch. Old Gregory showed us a map in the coffee table. We were trying to figure out what to do to save Tom, but anything was possible because we had no idea of where he was. We traced more than a hundred plans but all of them would fail if we tried. An hour later, Mark entered the room and Old Gregory looked at him furiously.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help to I hear some things you've said. And I would like to say that I have information that might help you."

"Say it," Jason got up.

"This boy that you are looking for, he was brought by Dr. Eskure two nights ago. Dr. Eskure has been giving orders here in Pendle and I still don't know why the other clans haven't stopped him."

"That's not really helping us. If you have something that's actually important, please just say it," I said getting nervous.

"Ok, I saw a few Mouldheels taking him to Mab's house. He's probably in her basement. Besides, tonight Dr. Eskure is going to start the ritual. He is trying to ask for Fiend's help to give him more strength to start a new dark era. So, his followers and the Mouldheel clan will be occupied with the ritual. They won't be very worried about watching the boy. The ritual starts in an hour but be careful, at midnight, Dr. Eskure is making the connection with Fiend and when that time comes, nowhere in Pendle will be safe."

"That's actually very interesting. Can you show us in the map where's Mab's house?" Old Gregory asked.

Mark pointed a small point on the map. Mab's house wasn't far but it would take a while to get there. Old Gregory thanked Mark and asked him to leave the room. When we were alone again, Old Gregory started to plan how we were getting there without getting caught and we had to find a way to stop Dr. Eskure's ritual before he could speak to Fiend and save Tom too, of course. While Old Gregory was talking, I felt Jason staring at me, but every time I looked at him, he would just look away to Old Gregory, as if he was paying attention. When the plan finally seemed perfect, we decided to leave. From the house we could hear some music, so we assumed that the ritual had started. Jason called Mark before we left.

"Thank you, Mark," he said.

"You're welcome, Jason. You're always welcome here," Mark gave Jason a fake smile.

"I don't need your fake hospitality. When I come back to Pendle, I'll pass by and you be able to pay what you still owe me," Jason turned back and led us to the door.

Outside, the moon was shinning and there weren't any clouds in the sky. It was the perfect night for a ritual and to save Tom. As we planned, Old Gregory headed to where the music was coming from. He was going to hide to watch the ritual and to try to understand what exactly was going on. Jason and I were going to save Tom and we would meet Old Gregory later. Then, when the right time came, we would stop the ritual, but we had no idea of how many people were going to be there and Old Gregory needed to make sure we didn't need more people to help. Jason and I headed to Mab's house, there was probably someone watching Tom. While Jason distracted the person, I would save Tom and get out of there.

It was easy to follow the path to Mab's house, the moonlight helped us all the way, even though I swear I saw something flying above us in the direction of the ritual, but I wasn't sure of what or who it was. However, I had an idea of it.

When we got to the house, Jason hid and I knocked on the door. An old witch opened the door.

"Excuse me. I need to talk to the Mouldheel leader," I said.

"She isn't here," The witch said. "She went to the ritual."

"Can you tell me where it is?"

The old witch left the door and came out of the house. She got by my side and pointed the way to me. Jason came from behind and hit her on the head with a tree branch. The old witch fell on the ground. We hid her body in a bush next to the house the front door was still open, so we entered. I tried to smell any other person in the room, but Mark was right, the others were at the ritual. However, it was just too easy.

"There must be someone else here," I whispered to Jason.

"Let's try to find a door to the basement. Be careful," he whispered back.

"Ok, just try to avoid mirrors," I walked to the first door in my right, but it was just the bathroom.

Jason started to open the other doors to his left. When I opened the door that led to the kitchen, I smelled somebody scent. It was another Mouldheel. She was sleeping in a chair while she was supposed to be "watching" Tom. I called Jason and he made sure she wasn't going to wake up so early by hitting her head with the same tree branch he had hit the first witch. We started to look for a trapdoor, when we heard a noise coming from near the oven. Jason helped me to open the trapdoor and out of there, Tom came out.


	9. Hostages

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 9: Hostages**

Tom came out of the basement. He didn't seem very hurt, but his wrist was still broken, he was dirty, his hands were bleeding and he still had the cut Dr. Eskure gave him. As soon as he got out, I threw my hands around his neck and hugged him. He hugged me back and we stayed like that for more than five minutes.

"Hey, I'm happy to see you too," he said letting me go.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt? What did they do to you?" I said putting my hands in his face "Oh my God Tom, I was so worried. You have no idea," I hugged him again.

"It's ok Alice, I'm fine," he looked at Jason. "Hey you! What are you doing here?"

"Hello Tom, I'm here to save you too. What happened to your hands?" Jason asked giving Tom some snaps in his back

"There were mirror everywhere. I had to break them," Tom said looking at me.

"I can heal it later. Now, we need to find Old Gregory," I said walking out from the kitchen.

"Wait! Mr. Gregory is here? Can you please tell me what's going on?" Tom asked following me.

"Yes, Mr. Gregory is here, we need to meet him now. There is no time to explain everything. Come on, mate," Jason said leaving the house after us.

In the way, Jason and I explained to Tom what was happening and what we had planned. So far things were going great. We had no problems on saving Tom, which was a very weird thing. Mab must have underestimated me, but it was always better to be precautious. Anyway, we were heading to the place where Old Gregory was. It wasn't very far, but we didn't want to force Tom too much so we tried not to run.

When we got closer to the ritual, the music was louder than ever. I was sure that the music was going to stop at any minute and we wouldn't make it, but I tried to stay positive. In the sky, the moon helped us to find our way and there weren't any clouds around.

Finally, we found Old Gregory, but he wasn't alone. There were two people talking to him and around the campfire he made, there were Mab's sisters, Beth and Jannet. One of the people talking to Old Gregory was Meg, but she was kind different and somehow I wasn't surprised at all to know she was there. I knew I saw something flying above our heads. However, when she saw us approaching she hid herself behind a tree. Old Gregory turned to us and the man who was with him got closer too.

"Lad! I'm glad you are alive!" Old Gregory said greeting Tom.

"Thank you Mr. Gregory. It's nice to see you too, sir," Tom answered "Who's with you?"

"This is Charlie Proctor. He is a friend of mine who lives nearby," Old Gregory introduced us.

"Hello, everybody, I hope I can help," Mr. Proctor tried to smile, but I could see he wasn't happy to be there

"What's Meg doing here?" I asked.

"Meg is not here, girl," Mr. Proctor tried to smile again. "You're hallucinating. Are you sure you feel ok?"

"I am no fool. I know she is here," I said to him and he glared back at me. "Meg, you don't have to hide," I screamed.

"Alice, I didn't see Meg either. Maybe it was just a shadow," Tom tried to calm me down.

"I know I saw her, okay?" I went to the tree where Meg had hidden herself.

She was there, huddled in a dark corner.

"Hey Meg, it's me, Alice," I said getting closer.

She tried to cover her face but I stepped closer and made her get up

"Come on. I'm not afraid of you, you don't have to hide," I smiled.

"But I'm evil, how can't you be afraid of me?" she asked crying.

"You're not evil and I've seen many evil creatures even the evilest of them all. I'm not afraid, I know you're not going to hurt me," I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the moonlight.

It was this moment when I saw Meg's original lamia body but I didn't know how she got like that so fast.

"No, Alice! Don't look" she cried again.

"Meg, what are you doing here?" I asked slowly.

"I'm here to help. I feel so useless in Anglezarke, even more when you all left. I made a potion that I found in a book so I could get my wings back. I flew here to help you. But instead I found two girls, they were identical."

"Mab's sisters," I said.

"Yes, they tried to hurt me, so I captured them. John said they might give you some important information," Meg finished.

"Alice!" I heard Jason calling.

Meg tried to escape to shadows again but I held her hand and made her stay by my side.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm just talking to Meg," I said.

"Sure, you better get back. I think Mr. Gregory has a plan," he said and I nodded.

Jason walked away. I followed him still holding Meg's hand. While we were getting near I heard Mr. Proctor talking.

"She won't help. She's a girl. She's fiend's daughter! She is working for Eskure. She knows too much."

"Hey! Alice always helped us when we needed. Tell him, Mr. Gregory," Tom said angrily.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with the boy, Charlie. Even though she was responsible for some of troubles we had in the past, she always helped us to make up for her mistakes," Old Gregory agreed.

"Well, I don't trust her," Mr. Proctor snapped.

"What a coincidence! I don't trust you either," I said getting to the campfire. "If Meg is not here, who is she then?"

"Of course she is Meg, don't be silly, girl" Old Gregory said.

"Whatever, enough of small talk. We have to interrogate these girls," Mr. Proctor harshly interrupted.

"I'm not saying a thing!" Beth screamed.

"Yes, you are. If you don't want to see your sister dead, you definitely are," Mr. Proctor pulled out a knife and put it on Jannet's neck.

"No! I'll tell you, please don't hurt her!" Beth said crying.

"Good! Now start talking."

"The ritual starts in three hours. The only person who can stop him is one of Fiend's sons or daughters," Beth confessed.

"We didn't want to join him. We swear!" Jannet decided to collaborate.

"It's true. Dr. Eskure has been threatening Mab! We don't want it to happen! Mab is just following his orders," Beth continued. "She has some secrets that nobody knows, not even us!"

"Shut up you two," Mr. Proctor screamed.

The silence fell on us. Nobody dared to say a thing, but I wasn't afraid of him. I turned to Beth.

"Can you tell us how to stop Dr. Eskure? We can save Mab."

"Alice! Are you crazy? Save Mab?" Tom asked.

"Shut up, Tom," I snapped.

"I'll say it, but only for Alice. I don't trust any of you," Beth said.

"I won't allow it," Mr. Proctor said.

"Charlie, this is our only chance, we have to listen to her. I don't exactly trust the girl, but she will know if the witch is lying," Old Gregory finally decided to talk.

"The lamia can come too if don't trust girls," Beth got up.

"Fine," Mr. Proctor gave up against his will.

Meg hold Beth's arm and we walked to a quiet place where I was sure nobody could hear us.

"Here we are. Now start talking," I said.


	10. Waiting

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 10: Waiting**

"At midnight, Dr. Eskure will make a connection with Fiend. The only way to stop the connection is breaking it with a silver chain, but only a Fiend's son or daughter can do it. If you break the connection in the exact moment, the devil will return to his place and Dr. Eskure will die because of the amount of energy left in his hands," Beth explained.

"Alright, is a shot in the dark, but I think we can do it," I said to Meg.

"But you can't forget that the whole Mouldheel clan will be there," Beth pointed out. "Take me to Mab. I can talk to her, I can convince her to lead the clan out there. Please… She can help you."

"What do you want in return?" I asked.

"If I convince Mab, you'll have to let us go safely," she answered.

"Okay, but don't even try to fool us or else your sister dies," I said. "Come on, Meg."

I dragged Beth with me and Meg followed us.

"Shouldn't we tell the others?" Meg asked.

"No. They don't trust us to do so. It'll be better if we do it on our own. Come on," I continued to walk.

We went to the ritual and hid in a tree near. I told Beth to bring Mab near the trees, so we could listen to the conversation, she agreed and left. In a few minutes, Beth was back with Mab. From where Meg and I were we could hear everything perfectly.

"What do you want, Beth?" Mab said.

"Please Mab, lead the clan out of the ritual! This plan is dangerous!" Beth begged.

"No, there are important things not worth losing here, even though it's dangerous, Beth." Mab snapped.

"Please… They are going to kill us."

"Who is going to kill you Beth?" Mab asked, she didn't seem very concerned with that.

"I can't say, but Jannet is in danger. Please!" Beth continued to beg.

"This is not the time to make jokes, Beth. I am the leader of the clan and I won't receive order from anyone," Mab said and left.

Beth started to cry. Meg and I got near her.

"Let's go back. Mab was very clear. She won't help," I said helping Beth get up.

We walked back to the campfire in silence. When we got back, everyone was sitting around the campfire. Tom was talking to Jason, Old Gregory and Mr. Proctor were in silence and Jannet seemed nervous. I sat between Jason and Tom, Beth sat in the far from Jannet and Meg sat besides Old Gregory.

"So, what did you get?" Tom asked.

"We need to wait a little, as she said, the ritual only starts in a couple of hours. I'm going to need a silver chain. Did you bring yours Mr. Gregory?" I asked.

"Of course. I never leave without it," He answered.

"But the problem is that I'll have to do it. I'll have to break the connection," I continued.

"What? Why?" Jason said in surprise.

"Yes, because she's Fiend's daughter," Beth answered.

"Ok, but we have to plan something to do," Tom said.

"Look, there is a stage where Dr. Eskure is planning to make the connection. Lad, lad's brother and the girl will go there to break the connection. Charlie, the twins and I will go to the end of the crowd. We will try to distract them. If listen to our screams that will mean the moment to break the connection," Old Gregory said.

"It seems a good plan to me," Mr. Proctor agreed.

"What about Meg?" I asked.

"She will stay here. She needs to rest," Old Gregory said.

"No! I want to help!" Meg complained.

"Meg, what if you try to make the witches get out of the place? If you fly above them they certainly will be distracted too and that would definitely help," Jason said.

"Great! I'll sure do that," Meg smiled and Old Gregory cursed under his breath.

For the next couple of hours we stayed in silence. Tom, Old Gregory and Mr. Proctor didn't eat anything, so I assumed Mr. Proctor was a spook too. Meg helped me to get some fruits for me, Jason and the twins.

Tom didn't say a thing to me but every time we looked at each other he would smile to me. I was so happy to see his smile again. I talked a little with Jason but I could help noticing, Tom looking at us not very happy. However, most of the time we all stayed in silence and I saw Jason staring at me again.

When the moon was almost full in the middle of the sky, Beth and Jannet got up.

"It's almost time," Beth said.

"We should go now," Jannet completed.

We all got up. Tom helped me to wrap the silver chain in my wrist. Old Gregory left first, followed then by Mr. Proctor, Tom, the twins and Meg. I was about to leave when Jason grabbed my hand.

"Alice, wait! I need to talk to you," he said.

"We have to go. Can't you tell me later?" I asked.

"I'm afraid it cannot wait," he answered.

"Then say it. We don't have much time."

"Ok. Here it goes. I know we have known each other for a few days, but I think I like you," he closed his eyes.

"Well, I like you too," I couldn't understand what he meant with that.

"Not as a friend. I like you as something else," he grabbed me by my shoulders and kissed me.

I didn't know what to do, when we heard a noise behind us we broke apart. From the trees, Tom came out.

"Hey! You two! Don't forget put out the fire," he said.

I stared at him in shock. What if he saw the kiss? He was probably thinking stupid things.

"Tom, this is not what you are thinking," I said getting closer.

"You have no idea of what I'm thinking, but that doesn't matter. You two have to work faster," he said coldly. "We have a county to save if you don't remember"

Tom left and when I turned around, the campfire was extinguished. Jason started to walk toward the path Tom had left and he didn't say a word. I was left behind, but I couldn't stop now to think about my love life, so I followed the others.


	11. Finally Acting

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 11: Finally Acting**

We went to the ritual and there were witches everywhere. Dr. Eskure was standing in a kind of stage and in front of him there was a bubbly cauldron. It was probably where he made a potion with Tom's blood and others ingredients. There was, in front of the stage on the floor, a circle made of black candles and there was a big rupture in the middle of it.

Beth, Jannet, Old Gregory and Mr. Proctor were going to the opposite side of the stage to distract everyone. Tom, Jason and I were going to the stage to break the connection. The silver chain in my wrist burned a little, but nothing I couldn't handle. We finally split up, Tom was leading, I followed him and Jason stayed behind me. We headed to the stage between the bushes next to the crowd. No one saw us, but I was sure they smelled something different. Luckily, nobody cared enough to look for the smell. Finally, we got to the stage. There were two men in the stairs. Tom and Jason, armed with tree branches attacked the two men fast and quietly. They fell on the ground and I helped Tom and Jason to hide their bodies under the stage. Quickly, we got into the stage and hid behind a pillar. We were waiting for the signal. Beth and Jannet were going to scream. However, Mab was in the stage too, we had to get her out of there. She could ruin everything if she saw us. Mab was making a speech, trying to calm down the clan. Everybody was whispering and they were making a lot of noise. When Mab finished she took a step behind and Dr. Eskure started the ritual. The potion was thrown in the rupture and a smoke started coming out of there. Dr. Eskure started to say the words, it was a language I never heard and I didn't know which was. He was so focused that he wouldn't even notice if the world fell apart in that exact moment.

Finally, we heard screams coming from the end. It was time to act. All witches started to look back and get nervous. Many people were leaving to see what was happening in the back of the crowd. Dr. Eskure didn't stop, Mab got nervous and tried to leave the stage but Tom and Jason grabbed her and immobilized her. I prepared the silver chain in my hand and ran towards Dr. Eskure. He had raised his hands and closed his eyes. The more he talked the more the smoke condensed, it went straight to Dr. Eskure's hands creating a big black chain of smoke, almost solid. Then, out of a sudden, the bright moon light disappeared. Loads and loads of clouds were in the sky and soon enough it was going to rain. I could barely see but I could feel the energy going to Dr. Eskure, so I wasn't that lost. When I felt the energy getting too strong, I understood that I couldn't wait any longer. I put all my strength in my wrist and threw the silver chain. After it left my hand, I felt the connection breaking and the energy pushed me. I fell so far on the ground that I thought I was going to fall out the stage. I was still conscious, but the black smoke was everywhere, I couldn't see anything. A while later, the smoke vanished. I could see things more clearly. I tried to get up but my head was hurting and everything was going round. Slowly, I sat down and tried to put my thoughts in order. A few minutes after, Jason came around and helped me to get up.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, what about you?" I said.

"I'm fine. Tom is stuck under a pillar. He needs help," he said.

I followed him through the stage and Tom was laying on the floor unconscious with a heavy pillar on top of him. My heart raced. I couldn't believe I had done everything right just to lose him in the end. Jason saw my worried face but he didn't say anything. I helped him and together we put the pillar besides Tom. He was still unconscious. I knelled in the ground, put Tom's head in my lap and tried to wake him up.

"I'm going to find the others, okay?" Jason said.

I nodded and when he left, I felt the tears rolling down my face. I couldn't believe I had failed. Saving him was the reason I went to Pendle in first place. There were so many things I had to say to him. He needed to know that I liked him more than a friend. Actually, I loved him, with all my heart. Seeing Tom like that made me realize how stupid I was not telling him how much I loved him and I regretted giving Jason the chance to kiss me. That kiss shouldn't have happened and now Tom was gone and he was never going to know how I felt and I was never going to know if I had a chance. How was I supposed to live without him now? I was so lost in my thought that I didn't see Tom awakening. I just notice that he was alive when he got up. I got up too and I couldn't stop smiling to see him alive.

"Why are you crying?" he asked wiping my tears away.

Then I did something I thought I would never have the guts to do. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed me back passionately putting his arms around my waist. We broke apart a while later.

"I have something I have to tell you," I looked into his deep brown eyes. "Jason kissed me because he thinks he likes me. But I like you. I feel more than that. Tom, I love you," he smiled.

"Alice, I love you too," he answered and he kissed me again.

The rain started to fall and we broke apart to breathe again. We smiled at each other and I never felt so happy my entire life. We were about to kiss again when Meg approached.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but John is calling you," she said.

"What happened?" Tom asked.

"You better come with me," Meg answered and she left flying.

Tom and I left the stage and walked where a few minutes ago there was the Mouldheel clan. In the middle of the black candles circle was laying Dr. Eskure's body. Like Beth said, the amount of energy left in his hand was too much for him. Dr. Eskure was dead. We continued to walk. There were a few witches dead, some were too close to the circle and the energy killed them too. We walked until we reached Old Gregory, Mr. Proctor, Jason and Meg. They were all looking at the floor.

"What happened, Mr. Gregory?" Tom asked.

I looked to the ground and I found Jannet's dead body. I was shocked.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"She did everything she had to do, but she tried to run. All witches were leaving and nobody cared about her. She was trampled," Old Gregory said.

"What happened to Beth and to Mab?" I asked.

"We were holding Mab, but she escaped," Jason said. "I didn't see where she went."

"After everyone started to leave, Jannet died, and Beth got hysterical. Somehow Mab appeared and helped her sister to leave too. They both escaped," Old Gregory said. "But I believe we did our job. The county is safe for now."

"Now, we need a place to go," Tom pointed out.

"We can go to my place," Mr. Proctor said.

Everyone agreed and we started to follow him. Tom and I walked hand in hand and I heard Meg whispering to Old Gregory.

"I knew it. They make a lovely couple, don't you think so, John?"

Old Gregory mumbled something back. We went to Mr. Proctor's house and I helped Meg to make dinner. At this point everyone was hungry. Then Tom and I shared a room, so did Old Gregory and Meg and Jason got the couch. That night I slept relieved and happier than ever.


	12. Secret Conversations

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 12: Secret Conversations**

The next morning, I woke up with sun rising. Meg was already awake and I helped her to make breakfast. In a few minutes, everybody else was up too. We ate breakfast in a happy mood. Everything was perfect. After breakfast, we were preparing to leave but Mr. Proctor had to talk to Old Gregory, so our trip back to Chipenden was going to wait a little, besides that Jason didn't know where to go and we needed to figure that out too. Tom and I were going great, we couldn't stop smiling at each other and even though Jason said he liked me he was acting like he didn't care if we were together. He didn't say anything but I knew he was upset. Tom and I were in the couch talking and I have to confess, we were making out a little too, when Jason left saying he was going to get some fresh air. I couldn't help to notice that Jason was acting a little weird. Tom said it was normal, Jason had always been like that and I didn't have to worry. Anyway, I got worried because I considered Jason my friend and I told Tom I was going to talk to him.

"You don't have to worry, Alice," he said to me. "He's fine."

"Haven't you seen his face? Something is going on, I'm sure," I said.

I got up and left the house. I followed Jason. He was heading to the back of the house. He continued to walk and I got curious. Where was he heading to? Finally, Jason stopped near a tree and sat on its shadow. I was about to say something when somebody appeared. It was Mab.

"Hello, Jason. Why do you look so sad?" she said,

That was interesting. Mab worrying about somebody else who wasn't herself, that was new. I hid myself behind a tree to hear what they were talking. Jason got up,

"You are Mab, right?" he asked,

"Yes, and you are Jason Ward. Tom Ward's brother," she answered.

"What are you doing here? What do you want from me?" he asked looking around.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. You helped me to escape last night. You didn't hold me so tight like Tom, that was very kind of you. Now, it is my time to help you," Mab said smiling.

"Do really believe I'm going to be so stupid to trust you?" Jason laughed.

"You know what? Forget it, I could help you to get Alice for you and set you guys up. But I'm sure you can do it on your own," Mab said.

"I beg your pardon?" Mab had gotten his attention.

"Well, don't you think that without Tom on your way things would be easier?" she asked.

"Yes, but what do you mean with that?"

"Last night, my sister Jannet died and it's all Tom's fault and this is not the first time people in my clan died because of him."

"And…? I still don't get it," Jason said getting impatient.

"Oh my! You're so slow," Mab said.

"Hey, it's not my fault if you don't go straight to the point," Jason complained.

To me that conversation was going too far. Jason was entering in Mab's game. I understood what she meant with _'things would be better without Tom'_ and I was just curious to know where this was heading to, but I just couldn't see a happy ending for this story.

"Just say it Mab. I don't have much time. They'll look for me soon."

"I want Tom Ward dead!" she screamed.

"Why?" Jason asked.

"Because he killed my sister, he killed many other people in my clan. I want revenge," Mab said angrily.

"And do you want me to help you?" Jason asked.

"Yes, if you help me to kill Tom Ward, Alice will be alone and you can take the chance and get closer to her. What do you say?"

"I don't know… I have to think," Jason said.

"Think faster," Mab shouted.

"Well…" Jason started to say.

It was when I smelled and heard Tom calling me and Jason. I got out of my hidden place and ran towards Tom who was coming from the path I followed Jason. I bumped into him and he held my arms.

"Alice, what happened?" he asked.

"Jason is conspiring with Mab against you," I said.

"What? That not possible. Jason would never do that, he is my brother," he answered in shock.

"But I heard Mab making the suggestion to him. She wants him to join her," I said exasperated.

"Alice, don't worry. Jason would never try to kill me," Tom kissed my forehead and hugged me.

"I don't want to lose you," I said hugging him back.

"You won't lose me. Did you hear Jason agreeing to kill me?"

"No," I said.

"Then there is no reason to worry," he kissed me.

When we broke apart, I saw Jason coming in our direction.

"Hey, we were looking for you. It's time to go," Tom said.

"Ok, let's go," Jason answered walking with us back to the house.

"Are you coming with us? Or are you going somewhere else?" I asked.

"If you guys really don't mind if I stay with you," he answered.

"That's ok. You're family and in Chipenden you'll always be welcome," Tom said smiling.

We walked back to the house, but I still had my doubts about what I heard. But maybe I was just hallucinating that Jason would turn back against his own brother. When we got the house, Old Gregory and Meg were outside saying goodbye to Mr. Proctor. He waved at us and entered the house and we finally left Pendle. Tom asked Jason if he wanted to talk to Jack but he refused saying he didn't want to be treated badly. Nobody said anything about that because we were used to Jack's reactions toward all of us. When we got to Chipenden, Old Gregory and Meg continued to walk to Anglezarke. Tom, Jason and I went to the spook's house where we were welcomed by the boggart and a very delicious lunch. Jason got one of the guest rooms next to mine and he seemed pretty happy with his new home. As for me, I was just happy to be home with the man I loved.


	13. A Happy End or Not

_Author's Note: This story is set after Tom's training as a Spook even though I know Joseph is still writing the last books, but this is just how I wish things ended, especially for Tom and Alice and the whole story is on Alice's POV, hope you like it. I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. R&R :)_

**Chapter 13: A Happy End or Not**

It had been a week and a half since we came back from Pendle. Jason had adapted himself to Chipenden very well. Tom and I were going great, but we hadn't defined our relationship. We weren't dating, but we weren't just friends. We made out here and there, but we did it like it wasn't something serious and that was starting to bug me. We spent a lot of time together and we both were happy and I wanted to stay like that.

It was Sunday and the boggart wasn't working, so Tom and I decided to go on a picnic on lunch time. We were in the kitchen preparing some sandwiches when Jason got into the kitchen.

"Hey Jason," Tom said.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Jason asked getting near us.

"We are preparing our picnic," I said.

"Hum, these look delicious," Jason said grabbing one of the sandwiches.

"Of course they are delicious. Alice made them," Tom said giving me a kiss in the cheek.

"Do you want to come with us?" I asked and I saw Tom rolling his eyes.

"No, the lovebirds can go alone, as long as you make me some of those sandwiches for lunch," he said smiling.

"Sure!" I said.

The three of us stayed in the kitchen making sandwiches, talking and laughing. It was a good day, the sun was in the sky and it was perfect for a picnic. I couldn't be happier.

"I know you are tired of me, but I'll get out of here as soon as I find a job. I swear to you that soon enough I'll be gone from here," Jason said when we finished.

"You are always welcome here and you can stay for the time you need. You don't have to leave soon," Tom said.

"Thank you, Tom," Jason hugged his brother

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" I asked again.

"Yes. You two will be better without me there," he smiled and left the kitchen with three sandwiches in his hands.

"Let's go then," I said.

Tom and I left to one of the hills that surrounded Chipenden. When we were getting near, Tom stopped. I looked back and saw him staring at me.

"What?" I asked "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong it's just… I'm thinking, remember when you told you could run faster than me even if you were if the provision's sack?"

"Yes, why?" I got curious.

"Well, this basket is not as heavy as the provision's sack, but it is close enough," he said giving the basket to me.

"Are you telling me you want to bet?" I said smirking.

"If you are saying so," he smiled.

"Fine… You know I'm going to win. Why can't you admit it?" I said getting by his side.

"I'll win. I want to see you swallow your pride," he joked.

"Very funny. On three?" I asked.

"On three," he agreed.

We counted to three and started to run. The final spot wasn't far, Tom and I ran like there was no tomorrow. When I got to the top first, Tom was very close to me and he had good chances to win.

"I told you I would win," I said smiling.

"That's wasn't fair. You cheated," Tom said.

"How? I was carrying the basket," I started to put a towel and basket on the floor.

"I don't know how, but I'm sure of it," he joked pushing me towards him by the waist.

"Admit that I'm faster than you. It's easier than trying to know how I supposedly cheated," I said putting my arms around his neck.

"Ok, you're faster than me but I love you still," he kissed me.

"I love you too," I said breaking apart. "But now let's eat something. I'm hungry."

We sat on the towel and ate our sandwiches. We spent the rest of the afternoon together. It was probably one of the best days of my life. We lay on the floor and watched the night come and the stars appear. We were so distracted that we didn't hear the weird noises coming from some trees.

However, things would not turn out ok. I was so entertained with Tom that I didn't notice two people talking behind the trees. Mab and Jason had been watching us since we left and we didn't have a clue that they were there planning how to kill Tom

When the night fell down, Tom and I walked back to the house hand in hand unaware of the danger that was about to come.

Final Author's Note: This is just a brief note. This was my first story and I thought nobody would read it, but I got even more excited to receive the reviews, so I wanted to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story. I truly hope you liked it. I know that this story ends with unfinished business. Don't worry, the sequel is coming probably next week, be aware!


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